Attitude, prejudice and ignorance

I have an assertion: I believe that most people with hearing disabilities are better LISTENERS than many normal hearing individuals! Our (hearing disabled) minds twists and works the different possible meanings much more than they would in a normal individual’s brain, because we have to constantly question and confirm what we think we apprehended. Thus the process to understanding is more complex and thorough…

I found this quote below (unknown origin) quite mind-provoking; it adresses something that needs to be discussed more. It’s not only about what happens in the convergence between deaf and hearing, but also in an universal aspect. It’s about everything that is different from yourself and ourselves…

"If I had to put in a nutshell what is the worst thing about being Deaf, it`s not that I am not able to hear music. It`s not that I am not able to hear a voice. It`s not that I can`t use the telephone. It`s not that I can`t enjoy a movie or a play.

What is it then? Attitude. Thats my biggest handicap. Not my attitude; your attitude…"

Hope this generates some thoughts!

My “beauty-contest” wish, in regards to this quote, is that I wish people learn better to really LISTEN, ask more QUESTIONS and develop a method of CONFIRMATION of understanding the meaning.

It’s so common to be content with just hearing what has been said. The victim of this contentness is that the MEANING and REAL MESSAGE of what has been spoken often gets twisted, lost or misunderstood… At least that’s my experience… Sometimes I wish there were classes throughout school that was all about how to communicate better!
(you know; communication is as much about DELIVERING the MEANING as it is to UNDERSTAND the meaning! There is a whole process there, just for transferring a MEANING that is so underdeveloped and underestimated!)

Thanks to Ann K for bringing the quote to my attention in the first place… (her blog is written in Norwegian)

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